Existing technologies for launching space vehicles involve the use of booster rockets to deliver a space vehicle into orbit. In order to achieve the necessary velocity to place the space vehicle into orbit, the rocket requires a large amount of fuel, which results in a majority of the weight of the rocket being dedicated to the fuel rather than the space vehicle itself. Thus, space vehicles and materials for the rocket must be designed as lightweight as possible in order to minimize the amount of thrust required to liftoff and then achieve the necessary velocity to place the space vehicle into orbit. This requires the use of expensive lightweight materials and exotic designs, which in turn results in the space vehicle and rocket being extremely expensive and fragile.
A number of alternatives to the use of rockets have been proposed in order to launch space vehicles into orbit, however these alternatives are dependent upon engineering or material science that does not currently exist. One such alternative is a so-called “space elevator”, which essentially involves a cable extending from an orbital position down to the earth's surface. A space vehicle would be attached to the cable and be carried into orbit on the cable. Currently there are no known materials for the cable that are strong and lightweight enough to withstand the earth's gravitational pull.
Another alternative is the use of magnetic levitation (maglev) train technology in connection with a so-called “rocket sled launch.” In this alternative the space vehicle is placed on a sled that levitates over a magnetic rail track and the sled is propelled up to a certain speed (i.e., an economically meaningful portion of intended orbital velocity) and then launched from the sled into the lower atmosphere. The magnetic rail track can be designed so that it travels a certain vertical distance (e.g., up to 10,000 feet above the earth's surface) so that the space vehicle is released further into the atmosphere.